The Good Listener Podcast

John Hadden
  • 5.0 (12)
  • DOCUMENTARY

An interview podcast

  1. DID THE UVF ACT ALONE ?? | Irish Cop Investigates The Worst Attack of The Troubles | John O' Brien

    FEB 9

    DID THE UVF ACT ALONE ?? | Irish Cop Investigates The Worst Attack of The Troubles | John O' Brien

    Send us a text John O’Brien is a retired Detective Chief Superintendent of An Garda Síochána, the national police service of Ireland. Over the course of a distinguished policing career that spanned more than 38 years, he held a succession of senior operational and strategic leadership roles.   John also served as National Head of Interpol and Europol, playing a pivotal role in fostering cooperation between Irish law enforcement and international policing organisations. His assessment regarding the Mass Murder of 34 innocents on the 17 May 1974  is that the UVF — acting alone — did not possess the technical, operational, or organisational capacity to execute the Dublin car bombings. John lays out the case based on a layered accumulation of forensic findings, expert military testimony, comparisons with the UVF’s historical bombing record and analysis of the sophisticated planning required for the Dublin operation. 00:00 Could the UVF have acted alone ? 03:20 THE DAY OF THE B*MBINGS ?????? 13:25 “The Killing Years” 29:20 The B*mb Signature 47:23 EXPERT MILITARY OPINION 58:20 British Strategy & Kenova 1:09:35 Did the UVF get help planning the attack 1:31:00 Final Thoughts BUY JOHN'S BOOKS : https://www.jaobrien.ie/home

    1h 33m
  2. CATHOLIC PRIEST HELPS IRA PRISON ESCAPE | Ex-Republican Prisoner Tells The Story

    JAN 25

    CATHOLIC PRIEST HELPS IRA PRISON ESCAPE | Ex-Republican Prisoner Tells The Story

    Send us a text **NOT A CLIP FROM MARTIN'S LAST INTERVIEW** Ex-republcian prisoner Martin McAllister joins us again to share the story of one of the IRA's most brazen and risky one-man prison escapes, an escape that was masterminded & executed in the space of 2 hours. It resulting in an IRA man walking straight out of the British internment camp, all while being assisted, unwittingly, by one of the top prison guards.   Martin, not content with having once taken part in a mass-jailbreak from Portlaoise max-security prison, employed his skills of observation and opportunism to free a fellow republican prisoner who started the morning completely unaware that he would walk straight out of Long Kesh that day.

    32 min
  3. Ex-RUC Officer Reflects On A Career Spent In Conflict | Sam Thompson

    JAN 21

    Ex-RUC Officer Reflects On A Career Spent In Conflict | Sam Thompson

    Send us a text For the episode I’m joined by ex Royal Ulster Constabulary and PSNI officer Sam Thompson. Sam spent his teen years growing up in a 1970s Belfast and remembers seeing his city descend into chaos and violence as the conflict erupted. Despite this Sam elected to join the police force which brought him face to face with danger in some of Northern Ireland’s most deadly areas including East Tyrone, Armagh and Springfield Road in Belfast. Sam shares stories about narrowly avoiding death at the hands of the IRA 3 times within a week and how some of his fellow officers weren’t so quite lucky. We spoke about the importance of conversations about the conflict and of preserving the stories/memories of those who were there as well as how Sam ended up making friends with ex republican paramilitaries.  00:00 Making friends with ex-IRA men  06:25 Growing up  19:30 Joining the RUC  38:40 INLA in Armagh  43:45 British soldiers telling Loyalists that they’re “Not British” 47:07 BELFAST (Springfield Road station) 57:00 UDR  59:55 Collusion ? 1:29:15 Most memorable moments from Sam’s career 1:32:15 Thoughts “Say Nothing” tv series  1:35:45 Sam’s writing  1:43:00 Common misconceptions   BUY SAM’s NOVEL: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nights-Armour-Samuel-Thompson/dp/178117699X PLEASE HELP OUT THE SHOW IF YOU CAN SPARE IT.. THANK YOU https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast  CONTACT THE SHOW: thegoodlistenerpodcast@gmail.com

    1h 53m
  4. SOUTH ARMAGH IRA MAN TELLS HIS STORY | Prison Breaks, Ambushes and Robert Nairac | Martin McAllister

    12/17/2025

    SOUTH ARMAGH IRA MAN TELLS HIS STORY | Prison Breaks, Ambushes and Robert Nairac | Martin McAllister

    Send us a text For this episode I'm joined by ex- South Armagh man Martin McAllister who you may have seen in the recent BBC documentary on Captain Robert Nairac. Martin shares his experiences including guerrilla warfare in the fields of South Armagh, being part of one of the IRA's biggest prison escapes and being shot while attempting to ambush British soldiers. He tells us about the british army medic who intervened and potentially stopped his fellow troops from k*lling Martin and how this had a profound effect on him. Martin speaks in depth about the importance of empathy, even during a violent conflict, and how he came to hold such views. Martin has spent decades searching for the remains of "the disappeared", a group of people who the IRA m*rdered but have never disclosed their place of burial, including one of the most enigmatic figures from the troubles, Captain Robert Nairac.   00:00 Early days of the troubles in Crossmaglen  06:05 Joining the IRA  12:05 Training  17:20 British Army “No-Road” Policy & Helicopters In South Armagh  20:30 “Bandit Country” Nickname  23:30 ROBERT NAIRIC 28:05 Breaking Out Of Max-Security Prison  41:40 Returning to Active Service  43:50 SHOT & CAPTURED BY BRITISH ARMY  49:50 EMPATHY 57:28 KINGSMILL  1:14:02 Quest to find Robert Nairac & “the disappeared”  1:16:10 Martin’s thoughts on recent BBC documentary that he featured in PLEASE HELP OUT THE SHOW IF YOU CAN SPARE IT.. THANK YOU https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast  CONTACT THE SHOW: thegoodlistenerpodcast@gmail.com

    1h 31m
  5. HUGH JORDAN - Journalist | D*ath Threats, Running Sources & Conflict in 1990s Belfast

    12/09/2025

    HUGH JORDAN - Journalist | D*ath Threats, Running Sources & Conflict in 1990s Belfast

    Send us a text My guest for this week is long-time Belfast -based journalist, Hugh Jordan. Hugh explains what being a journalist was like during some of Belfast's most turbulent years as elements of the Loyalist and Republican paramilitaries tried to derail the peace-process and plunge the North back into violence. Hugh tells us about how he acquired and kept his sources during this time, often members of the IRA, UVF, UDA and more. He speaks about the dangers that come with his role, threats that have made against his life, being assaulted on the job and meeting some of the conflicts most famous "touts"/informers. He also shares stories about the Shankill Butchers, ex- SF publicly director Danny Morrison and how Hugh repaired his relationship with Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair. Hope you enjoy!! 00:00 Intro 4:10 Paisley’s role in early violence in N.I  16:00 Sources within the IRA 26:10 Dealing w/ sources  34:10 Sources lying ? 36:40 Meeting with INLA 40:30 Willie Carlin & Ray Gilmour  52:25 Paramiltaries post- troubles  57:00 Cameron Hastie  1:00:30 Basher Bates  1:06:45 Danny Morrison story  1:10:50 Naming Thomas “Slab” Murphy  1:15:00 Patching up relationship with Johnny Adair  1:24:50 RUC man Ronnie Flanigan  1:32:30 Hugh gets PUNCHED on the job  PLEASE HELP OUT THE SHOW IF YOU CAN SPARE IT.. THANK YOU https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast  CONTACT THE SHOW: thegoodlistenerpodcast@gmail.com

    1h 52m
  6. The Man Who Led The Black & Tans | Churchill's Man in Ireland - Henry Tudor

    11/10/2025

    The Man Who Led The Black & Tans | Churchill's Man in Ireland - Henry Tudor

    Send us a text This week I'm joined by the author of "An Accidental Villain: A Soldier's Tale of War, Deceit and Exile", Linden MacIntyre. This book explores the life of Henry Hugh Tudor, a close friend of Winston Churchill who, during the height of Irish War Of Independence, was appointed as the de-facto chief of police (RIC) in Ireland which put him charge of arguably the single most hated group in Irish history - "the Black and Tans". BUY THE BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Villain-Soldiers-Deceit-Exile/dp/0735282021 PLEASE HELP OUT THE SHOW IF YOU CAN SPARE IT.. THANK YOU https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast  CONTACT THE SHOW: thegoodlistenerpodcast@gmail.com TIMSTAMPS  00:00 Intro  06:30 2nd Boer War 10:05 How did his time in Ireland effect Tudor ? 18:45 To what degree did Churchill shield Tudor from Cabinet scrutiny ? 24:50 Burning of Cork & Sack of Balbriggin  43:00 Life after army

    1 hr
  7. FIGHTING TO FIND PEACE | Eamon McAuley's Story - Growing Up In Ardoyne During The Troubles

    10/12/2025

    FIGHTING TO FIND PEACE | Eamon McAuley's Story - Growing Up In Ardoyne During The Troubles

    Send us a text My guest for this episode is Eamon McAuley, a former professional boxer from Ardoyne and author of “Fighting to Find Peace”. Eamon was born in Belfast just before “the troubles” erupted and has experienced a childhood unique to his place and time. From arms dumps on his street to his great uncle being brutally m*rdered by the infamous Shankill Butchers, Eamon’s life is one that has been shaped, in many ways, by the conflict that surrounded him.  Eamon also shares many stories about his father “Coco” McAuley, a notorious Ardoyne hard-man who, at one stage, was shot by the IRA, Loyalists and fought the British army Paras in the street, to the point where they had to send a boxing champion over from Germany try to defeat him.  00:00 Coco McAuley (Eamon’s father) 08:40 Eamon’s childhood (Shankill Butchers and Johnny Adair)  21:15 Lewis Crocker (Belfast’s newest champ)  34:30 Thoughts on MMA 41:35 Did being a vegetarian end Eamonn’s career?  45:25 Coco II 59:15 Coco III 1:01:25 Coco SHOT BY LOYALISTS  1:06:15 Reality of growing up during the troubles  1:15:00 GFA & thoughts on Irish Reunification  https://www.youtube.com/@UCH3Cfhwnw5TxRUlL20A_wuQ  https://www.orpenpress.com/books/fighting-to-find-peace-a-belfast-boxers-journey/

    1h 24m
  8. IRELAND DURING WW2 - WHOSE SIDE WERE THEY REALLY ON ??

    09/09/2025

    IRELAND DURING WW2 - WHOSE SIDE WERE THEY REALLY ON ??

    Send us a text For this episode I am joined by author and historian, John Crotty. John has researched extensively the subject of Irelands neutrality during WW2 and the actions the Irish govt took that broke neutrality in favor of the allied side. We discuss the efforts that the IRA of the time made to collaborate with the Germans, how the Irish govt took extreme measures against the republicans (including internment and execution) and DeVelera’s decision to offer condolences after the death of Hitler. John also went over the reasons why Winston Churchill wished to damage Ireland’s image, what declassified British & American intelligence documents tell us Irelands war effort and whether or not Ireland was an anti-Semitic place. PLEASE HELP OUT THE SHOW IF YOU CAN SPARE IT.. THANK YOU https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast  CONTACT THE SHOW: thegoodlistenerpodcast@gmail.com JOHN CROTTY'S WEBSITE : https://johncrottyauthor.com 00:00 Intro  10:40 Did the Irish public support the IRA’s actions ? 15:10 IRA and German collaboration  19:50 Did the IRA leaders have ideological sympathies w/ the Nazis  26:00 Irish Govt’s pro-Ally actions during WW2  36:50 Did the German’s know that Ireland wasn’t really neutral ? 41:25 Decision to not take in refugees  44:10 Dev’s decision to offer condolences after Hitler’s death 51:40 Were Irish people pro-AXIS during WW2 ? 55:00 Northern Ireland’s role in WW2 1:02:45 How Ireland helped the D-DAY Landings  1:06:27 Accusations leveled at Ireland re: helping the N*zis  1:10:45 Churchill’s plot to discredit Ireland during WW2  1:19:48 Level of anti-semitism in Ireland at the time  1:28:45 1904 Limerick Pogorm  1:34:30 John’s background in history  1:37:13 US Intel on Ireland during WW2

    1h 42m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

An interview podcast

Information

  • Creator
    John Hadden
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Good Listener Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Good Listener Podcast

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